Outsider Greece pulls hat trick, beats Portugal 2-1 on host's turf in Euro2004 inaugural match

   Outsider Greece pulled a hat trick Saturday night in the opening match of the Euro2004, beating Portugal 2-1 on the host team's turf, sending Greeks into a proud frenzy over their team's biggest victory in its soccer history that was shared by alternate culture minister Fani Palli-Petralia and the ministry's deputy minister for sports, George Orfanos, who joined the rejoicing players in the locker room of title contender Porto's Dragao stadium.

   

    Greece's scorers George Karagounis (7th minute) and Angelos Basinas (51st minute penalty) -- the first scorers of the 2004 European soccer tournament -- were the night's heros, but the super-hero of Greece's upset win was the quietly smiling team coach, German-born Otto Rehhagel, or "King Otto" as he is affectionately called in Greece, who in less than three years groomed the talented national squad to international standards with a team attitude.

   

    The victory put Greece at the top of their Group A, ahead of Spain who beat Russia 1-0 in Saturday's other group match, and raising hopes for a first-ever place in the quarter-finals (group of eight).

   

    The first-ever win by Greece in a major championship sent Greeks out onto the streets Saturday night, with car horns blaring, flags flying and fans pummeling each other on the backs.

   

    Even prime minister Costas Karamanlis and main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, bracing for the first European Parliament elections of the newly-enlarged 25-nation bloc on Sunday, took time out to send their own messages of congratulations and support to the Greek team.

   

    "With your historic victory tonight, our national team has won the respect of the sport fans of Europe and filled every Greek with excitement," Karamanlis' message said, and wished the squad comparable successes in the next matches of the championship.

   

    "It is a very good start. We are enthusiastic with the Greek team. Bravo. We congratulate them, and wish them to continue like this," Papandreou said, adding that "Greece knows how to win, and I believe this indicates where we stand today, as a country".

   

    Both men also lavished praise on Rehhagel, who said that "tonight, we will celebrate a little bit, but tomorrow the work starts for the next game".

   

   

   

   

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